Video conferencing enables participants located at two or more sites to simultaneously interact via two-way video and audio transmissions. A video conference can be as simple as a conversation between two participants located at different sites or involve discussions between many participants each located at different sites and include any shared content such as a video presentation. As high-speed network connectivity has become more widely available at lower cost and the cost of video capture and display technologies continues to decrease, video conferencing conducted over networks between participants in faraway places has become increasing popular. Video conferencing has traditionally been conducted using separate components, such as video cameras and webcams to capture images of the participants; computer monitors, televisions, and projectors to display video images of the participants and any shared video content; microphones and speakers to capture and project voices; and computers to process and send the video and audio signals over a network.
In recent years, portable electronic devices such us smartphones and tablet computers have increased dramatically in popularity and utility. However, many portable electronic devices do not have large enough displays to simultaneously render a large number of remotely situated participants in a video conference with sufficient resolution. For instance, the traditional components used to conduct a video conference make it possible to conduct a video conference with each participant's display showing the other participants simultaneously. Each display may show a number of separate viewing areas. Each viewing area shows a video stream of one or more participants. With a large enough display, a participant can judge the mood and facial expressions of the other participants, making it possible for the participant viewing the display to relate to the other participants shown in the separate viewing areas. By contrast, using a portable electronic device in a traditional video conference with a large number of participants becomes problematic. In order to fit each viewing area within the display boundaries, the size of each viewing area is reduced and the display screen becomes crowded with viewing areas. If the number of viewing areas becomes large enough, the resolution of the display may not be adequate to judge the mood and facial expressions of the other participants, and even if the resolution is high enough, it becomes increasingly difficult for the participant using the portable device to relate to the other participants as their images get smaller. As a result, the use of portable devices in video conferences is typically avoided.